Chapter 143: Mist and Ink of the Southern Rivers

Sui Yi's thoughts shifted, and her mind cleared up a bit. Maintaining an expressionless face, she held the piece of Jiang Zhenxuan jade ink in her hand and looked toward Lü Haobai.

No matter how scholarly and refined Lü Haobai appeared, he was ultimately a businessman, and having a sharp eye and a clear mind was a necessity. A single glance was all it took for him to understand. With a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth, he came over to ring up Sui Yi's purchase.

However, upon seeing the three boxes of famous ink placed on the counter by Sui Yi, he paused.

Three boxes? She was buying three boxes?

Thinking this, Lü Haobai was just about to ask when he caught sight of Sui Yi's cool and serene eyes. It seemed as though no words were needed; one could instantly understand her intention.

One would also naturally think... that any seemingly impossible thing, when it concerned her, was entirely possible.

This feeling was rather strange. Lü Haobai couldn't help but smile faintly, abandoning his question. He directly calculated the total, printed the receipt, and handed it to Sui Yi.

Seventy thousand, thirty thousand, twenty thousand—the total came to one hundred and twenty thousand.

Sui Yi merely glanced at it before swiping her card with a normal expression. Her decisiveness caused Lü Haobai's heart to skip a beat. To be honest, in most shops—regardless of what they sold—the highest-priced luxury items were almost always the least popular.

Those who took a fancy to them had no money!
Those who had money didn't take a fancy to them!
Those who had money and fancied them wouldn't necessarily buy them in the end!

Therefore, in every industry, high-end goods were always difficult to sell, and expensive consumer goods like famous ink were even more so.

If such an item actually sold, the buyer was typically a tycoon-level boss or a great literary figure. Someone as young as Sui Yi, coming in completely alone...

This was indeed the first time Lü Haobai had ever encountered such a customer.

Yet, he did not show his astonishment, lowering his head instead to carefully wrap the items.

Famous ink required good packaging, much like the difference in packaging between ordinary tea and Longjing tea...

One paid quickly, while the other took his time wrapping. Bai Xiong and the others hadn't seen the receipt and didn't know the actual price, but they did know that the piece in Sui Yi's hand alone cost seventy thousand.

They instantly felt a sense of shame; this young girl was truly spending a fortune!

Students like Bai Lingshuang were even more shocked. Was this for real? Did she actually buy them?

"Isn't Sui Yi's family background supposed to be quite poor? How is it that..." A few students whispered among themselves. The parents nearby overheard some of it and immediately jumped to the same conclusion, casting disdainful and contemptuous glances at Sui Yi.

Madam Bai was just thinking of offering an explanation to everyone...

Coincidentally, a person standing at the entrance swept their gaze across the room.

Upon seeing Sui Yi, their eyes lit up.

Without shouting, they walked directly inside.

Hearing the footsteps, Sui Yi turned her head. Li Jingyan stood before her and said, "Miss Sui, Master Tang asked me to look for you... He is waiting for you in the stone-gambling area."

Master Tang... This title made Sui Yi smile faintly. No doubt that eccentric old man Tang was bullying the honest and simple-minded Li Jingyan, making him use such a literary and refined form of address...

However, Li Jingyan's manner of addressing her left Sui Yi feeling somewhat helpless. She had already corrected him once before, but since he insisted, she wouldn't bother a second time.

"Alright, I'll be over in a moment."

At that moment, Li Jingyan also noticed Lü Haobai, who was packing the ink boxes behind Sui Yi.

Seeing that Sui Yi was about to leave, Lü Haobai sped up his movements and quickly finished the task.

"Here you go, Miss Sui, these are your... Wait, are you a junior of Master Tang from Nanxun?"

He assumed she might be a niece or a younger relative; otherwise, she wouldn't have such deep pockets.

"A junior? You could say that." A disciple could also be considered a junior, right? Sui Yi gave a faint smile, then gave a brief instruction to Lü Haobai before leaving.

After she left, Bai Xiong—who had been dragged over by his daughter to help pick out some ink—turned around, only to find that she was already gone. Feeling immensely discouraged and anxious, he remembered hearing something about a stone-gambling area just now...

He would have to go over and check out the excitement.

Just then, Lü Haobai walked over carrying two bags.

"Director Bai, I don't think you need to pick out any ink anymore."

*Uh*, what was the meaning of this? Was he refusing to do business with him?

Bai Xiong and the others were about to flare up.

Lü Haobai handed over the two bags.

"This is the Qinghua Songyan ink that Miss Sui just gifted to your esteemed daughter. It is very suitable for a young lady to use after her brushwork matures, and it smells faintly of flowers. As for the other one, it is the Jiangnan Misty Rain ink, which is suitable for scholars and men of culture."

"By the way, there is a famous saying associated with this Jiangnan Misty Rain ink: *Waters of Jiangnan generate mist, ink sinks in the rain bringing fragrance; seeking not the dawn of a full day, wishing only for a secluded alley.*"

Lü Haobai smiled with profound meaning.

Bai Xiong pondered this carefully and understood.

The first ink was indeed a gift for his daughter, but it could also be seen as a gift for him. However, a gift passed between peers would not damage his official reputation. As for the second one... it was meant to be passed on to someone connected with Yunfeng School. It wasn't to demand direct admission into Yunfeng Academy, but merely to secure a normal channel, ensuring that all examination slots wouldn't be squeezed out by other powerful and influential people.

How should he put it? This was truly the first time Bai Xiong had ever encountered such a person.

Grace—an elegance flowing naturally from aristocracy, even when applied to the notoriously sordid dealings of official networking and human favors, was rendered profoundly fragrant by these two blocks of ink.

It left him feeling genuinely respected from the very bottom of his heart, and the utilitarian drive to pull strings for favors faded considerably.

It felt like... the simple, graceful gratitude of a friendship between gentlemen.

This Sui Yi... was extraordinary!

***

Meanwhile, Li Jingyan had already taken the bags from Sui Yi's hands, saying before she could even refuse, "There are too many people here; carrying these makes you an easy target for pickpockets."

Hearing this, Sui Yi nodded. Though even if dozens or hundreds of pickpockets came, she wouldn't have taken them seriously.

She could have put the two blocks of ink into her bag, but the bag was quite small and would bulge awkwardly. Since Li Jingyan offered to carry them, she let him.

"What is Master Tang doing in the stone-gambling area? Isn't he supposed to be presiding over the Literary and Antiquities Convention?"

"The opening ceremony of the convention just concluded. The merchants and celebrities who arrived later are all very interested in stone gambling, so they all headed over to the stone-gambling district."

Pausing for a moment, Li Jingyan's expression turned somewhat wry. "That stone-gambling district is indeed massive; two whole streets have been cordoned off for it. That's extremely rare in Nanxun's history, and it's the first time stone gambling has been introduced to Nanxun's Literary and Antiquities Convention."

"The high-stakes gambling where one cut brings poverty and another brings wealth has overshadowed most of the scholarly atmosphere."

Sure enough, the allure of gemstones and jade throughout history surpassed a civilization written on paper.

Especially among businessmen.

There were many people, so Li Jingyan cleared the path ahead. After a short while, Sui Yi and Li Jingyan arrived at Master Tang's location. From two hundred meters away, Sui Yi saw Master Tang and the others standing on the steps of a platform. Below them was a row of stone-cutting machines, and further down on the ground were numerous raw jade stones divided into several sections. Had there not been people specifically blocking the perimeter, the area would have been mobbed long ago.

The harsh sound of machines cutting and grinding rough stones could hardly drown out the discussions and shouts of the crowd.

As soon as the two arrived near the front, Master Tang called out, "Sui Yi, Sui Yi... come over here!"

Zhang Guangbiao was also one of the rough stone merchants, and a large portion of the venue belonged to him, so his words carried considerable weight. Seeing him wave his hand, the guards securing the perimeter cleared a path for Sui Yi and Li Jingyan.

Walking in, Sui Yi saw that there were quite a few people present.

Old Han and the others went without saying; Boss Qian's family was also there. Of course, Qian Fengling was not present, but Qian Shuangyu was... Along with a young man in impeccably tailored clothes, whose face was currently brimming with effortless confidence.

Zhou Ran seemed to have moved up in the world.

Yet, upon turning his head and seeing Sui Yi, his expression froze slightly.

Clearly, he was still incapable of ignoring or taking her lightly.

Perhaps for a man, the utter indifference she had previously shown him was the ultimate humiliation.

Sui Yi gave a faint smile, noncommittal.

Old Han and the others were still very welcoming toward Sui Yi, and Yu Quan also smiled and nodded at her. However, none of them spoke too loudly, because right here...

There were other people present.

Sui Yi noticed a group standing in front of Master Tang and the others, exuding a formidable aura. Whether through their attire, grooming, or the way they stood, they gave off an air of overwhelming arrogance.

Adding the faces of Li Run and Han Yuanzhong to that group only heightened that arrogance.

Sui Yi was slightly surprised, then cast a sideways glance.

Are enemies really that fond of crossing paths...?

***

When Li Run and his companion saw Sui Yi, they were far more shocked than she was when she saw them, though... Li Run was also exceedingly pleased.

Because here, in the territory of wealth and power, he was the boss!

"Second Uncle..." Li Run called out to the man in front of him, whispering a few words. The man glanced at Li Run and Han Yuanzhong, turned his head, and then stared at Sui Yi with an icy gaze.

So this was the person who moved against the Han family and shook their foundations in Nanxun?

Just a young girl!

By this time, Sui Yi had already heard Master Tang explain the background of these people. They were from the Li family in the provincial capital. Though not among the top-tier tycoons of the capital, they ranked quite well in the middle tier with substantial assets under their name. The Lishi International corporation was worth over a billion, making it a fairly large company. However, they were in the jewelry business and had only come to Nanxun today to look around.

As it happened, they were relatives by marriage to the Han family. They were likely here to settle scores.

In the matter concerning the Han family, Master Tang, Yu Quan, and other members of the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce had all gotten involved to varying degrees. They certainly wouldn't shift all the blame onto Sui Yi, so upon seeing the opposition arrive, they had acted as if facing a formidable enemy.

And now, the opposition had cornered them right here in the stone-gambling district!

"Hmm, have you guys started gambling against Li Yuan and the others?" Sui Yi frowned, then looked across at Li Yuan and his group. Li Yuan was Li Run's second uncle.

"Sigh, we couldn't help it. They deliberately came to pick a fight. This Literary and Antiquities Convention was organized by our group of people. If we hadn't accepted, it would have shown cowardice, which would ruin our reputations and cast a shadow over the convention. Our local chamber of commerce would also become a laughingstock to them... Anyway, the impact would be significant." *(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)*